1. Field of the Inventions
The present inventions generally relate to self-heating systems and methods, and more particularly to self-heating systems and methods for rapidly heating a comestible substance.
2. Description of the Related Art
In today's on-the-go consumer society, there is increasing demand for a convenient and effective container which may be used by consumers to heat consumable products, such as coffee, tea, milk, soup, and many other types of beverage or food products, at any time and any location, without having access to any conventional heating means, such as a coffee maker, microwave, cook top, etc. Self-heating technology based on an exothermic reaction between different reagents is often used in such containers. Typically, two or more reagents are initially separated by a breakable partition in the container, and when heat needs to be generated, the partition is broken to allow the mixing of the reagents, thereby creating an exothermic reaction for heat generation. Typically, the reagents employed for generating the heat include at least a solid material, such as calcium oxide, and a liquid material, such as water.
The prior art self-heating systems, however, have many shortcomings. For example, the speed for heating larger volumes of beverage or food to temperature is generally slower than desired, especially in today's on-the-go consumer society. Moreover, the temperature of the beverage or food typically cannot be maintained for an extended period of time after the exothermic reaction. Further, the self-heating containers are often not designed for effective separation, deployment, and mixing of the chemical reactants therein. Thus, there is a need for an improved or alternative self-heating system and method for heating beverage and food.